Invisible Bonds of the Missing
by Phanatically
Summary: Strange disappearances have been happening. Riddled with a sense of honor, Kaiba Seto has invested in the search to find one missing Jounouchi. How does a bond occur between two men when one has been missing?  Extended summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Here's how this is going to go. I wrote this in 30 minutes. It's unedited for content, but well thought out. I have checked for spelling and grammar errors, of course, but the content may be subject to change. I have plans for this to continue and where I want it to go, but I don't want to get too invested if no one is going to want to read it. This has some cutesy moments in it, but that doesn't mean that it's going to end up the way you think. It's sad, heart wrenching, and emotional but I feel like I can make it amazing.

Don't worry, I'll finish this eventually.

**Extended Summary ~**

Strange disappearances have been happening. People have either gone missing or have been reported as being kidnapped. After a strange twist of events, involving the Kaiba family, Jounouchi Katsuya has been added to the ranks of the missing. Riddled with a sense of honor, Kaiba Seto has invested in the search to find the missing Jounouchi. During this journey to find his lost enemy, Kaiba finds himself learning more about his enemy than he ever thought he would. He eventually learns that not only was there more to the blonde than he had ever noticed, but he has more in common with him than anyone knew.

But during this search a question arises: how does a double-sided friendship and bond occur between two people who were once enemies, two people who are separated by a lengthy ordeal? How do both Kaiba Seto and Jounouchi Katsuya carve out a relationship between one another without speaking, seeing, or hearing the other?

* * *

It was a funny feeling for Kaiba Seto, to realize he'd been more invested in the mutt. He never would have believed you if you had said he cared for the fiercely competitive blonde. He probably would have laughed at you and sent you on your way if you had told him that. It wasn't until he heard of his disappearance that he even entertained the idea that he may have an infinitesimal spot in his heart for Jounouchi Katsuya. But when his younger brother burst into his office to drag him to the nearest television set. His chilled heart began to beat just a little bit faster when his mind registered the words 'missing' and 'Jounouchi' as they spilled from Mokuba's mouth.

Moments later it was even a shock to Kaiba himself when he didn't scoff at the news reporter on screen. Instead he found himself ignoring his current, and very pressing, reports to watch the scene unfolding from his sitting room television.

"Mokuba, what is going on?" He inquired, his usual cruel tone absent from his voice.

"There's been a series of disappearances" his brother explained shakily, "Only, it's just been released that these kids who have gone missing didn't run away at all. They've been kidnapped. The kidnappers have been going after either famous or talented individuals." He took a deep, worried breath. "And apparently Yugi-kun was the next target."

"Then why is Jounouchi's photo plastered all over this news cast?" He asked with curiosity.

"Well, that's just it. No one knows why, but Yugi's unconscious body was found in the middle of the Domino City Park. He's in bad shape and has just been rushed into surgery." Mokuba explained slowly. As Kaiba opened his mouth to repeat his question Mokuba continued on, "And with Yugi they found the necklace that Jou always has around his neck clutched in his hand with blood all over it. It's been taken into police custody for investigation to find out if the blood is Jou's or not." Mokuba whispered quietly. He had tears streaming down his face.

"Why do you look," Kaib paused, studying his brother's face, a face that looked haunted, "_guilty_?"

"Because I was there." His brother whispered, tears streaming even faster down his cheeks. "I was there when it happened. "

"What!" Kaiba nearly shouted. He turned to his younger brother, dropping to one knee to look him in the eyes. "How? Why? Why have you waited to tell me about this?" He demanded, voice firm.

"I ran into Yugi-kun and Jou while I was at the arcade, instead of at the library. I know you said I couldn't go, but I really wanted to play. Just for a little bit." He glanced away from his brother's face, his eyes half closed in guilt. "Yug-kun and Jou invited me to get a slice of pizza with them. I really like Yugi-kun and his friends, so I wanted to be included. I hadn't told them that I was supposed to be on the other side of town. When we were done eating, I told them that I wasn't supposed to be out and that I had to run back to the library before Ito-san came to pick me up. Jou said that it was too late for me to be walking to the library by myself."

He paused to whipe his nose on his sleeve. "And that's when everything started to happen. Jou heard them coming. He heard their steps and their voices before Yugi-kun or myself. They were behind us, behind the corner we had just turned. He thought that they were after me because he had over heard one of them talking at about grabbing a little guy to 'add money to the collection' and that they couldn't miss this chance." Mokuba's eyes brimmed with unshed tears, his voice catching in his throat. "So we ran." He whispered, the tears spilled over his lashes and ran down his cheeks.

"Shhhh," Kaiba soothed scooping his brother into his arms, worry plastered onto his face. He held his brother tightly and waited patiently for him to continue.

"I'm sorry" Mokuba sobbed, his small hands clutching his brother's smooth shirt, face buried into his chest. "I didn't mean to be the reason he's missing".

"What do you mean?" He asked calmly.

"I was so slow, I couldn't keep up with Yugi-kun and Jou. We had gotten most of the way down the street before the men turned the corner to see us running away. Jou looked back to see where I was and that they were beginning to catch up. He stopped and picked me up so we could get away faster." He explained, his guilt evident.

"We thought that we had gotten away, when we dashed through traffic and through some alleyways that Jou knew to take. I really had thought so too. But Jou was worried. He told Yugi-kun and me to hide in an abandoned apartment complex two stories up and another alleyway over. We tried to object, but he told us not to argue. He wanted to inspect to see if they really were gone. Yugi-kun grabbed my hand and tugged me over to a rusty ladder pushing me to climb up."

He paused again to wrap his arms around his brother's neck. "After I climbed to the top, the men came into the alleyway. Yugi looked up at me and mouthed to me to hide, so I did. I hid behind some old boxes. But I could see directly below me between the bars of the old platform. Yugi had hidden behind a dumpster. Jou, he was too far in the open to hide. The men had already seen him." He stopped talking again to breathe deeply.

"Take your time, Moki, it's alright". His brother calmly expressed, still rubbing his back soothingly. His calm demeanor hiding his true murderous feelings.

"The men started yelling at Jou, asking him where the little guy was. It wasn't for a few moments did any of us realize they had been looking for Yugi-kun. Neither one knew that I was the little boy with them, and Jou did not tell him that. He made it seem like I was his younger cousin. None of the men seemed to care once they thought I was a nobody. I couldn't hear too well, but after a while the four men started to attack Jou." He was shaking again. _Fo__ur. _The number echoed in Kaiba's head. For some reason he had only thought that there were two. The numbers did not sound like good odds.

"Yugi-kun couldn't take it anymore once Jou was knocked to the ground and wasn't fighting back anymore. He jumped out from his hiding place to try to defend Jou. To make it stop. I couldn't watch anymore after that. I… didn't know what to do. I remember hearing Yugi-kun scream out in pain and a thud shortly after. There was a lot of strange noises shortly after and when I dared to open my eyes again, everyone was gone. I waited minutes after, just to make sure they were gone. I didn't' leave the same way I came in, but I didn't know what to do. Onii-sama, I'm so scared" He was crying harder now than Kaiba had ever seen from his usually well composed brother. "I came home as soon as I could, but I didn't want anyone to see me! I know it took me too long to get home, but-"

"Shhhhh," Kaiba whispered, hugging his brother closer, running his fingers through his messy hair. "It's alright, you're safe now." He promised. He didn't want to ask any more questions tonight. He didn't know how his brother had gotten home safely, he was sure that the alleyway was being watched since the men knew there was someone else in the group. He had no idea how his brother was safe, he was just grateful that at the moment, he was.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer – Not it, not mine.

AN: This is about the longest Author's Note you're going to get, not including the first one, during this fic. I don't like skewing word counts because of AN's. If you want to know things, I'll probably put updates on my profile thing or whatnot. Tune in there to find out what I have to say about this fic!

_~"Shhhhh," Kaiba whispered, hugging his brother closer, running his fingers through his messy hair. He waited for his brother to calm down. He didn't want to ask any more questions tonight. He didn't know how his brother had gotten home safely, he was sure that the alleyway was being watched since the men knew there was someone else in the group. He had no idea how his brother was safe, he was just grateful that at the moment, he was. ~_

Chapter 2

_It wasn't long before Mokuba's sobbing form began to relax as he fell into a restless sleep nestled softly to his brother's chest. He decided that it would be best if he kept Mokuba with himself for the night, he was positive that his brother was going to have nightmares. With a long sigh he cradled his Mokuba into his arms to carry him to his bedroom one floor up._

* * *

"I don't care how you do it, just get it done". He snapped into his phone. He knew it was very late, but even at this hour he had standards. It was rare when he called his personal lawyer team this late, but matters were pressing. If it were discovered that the younger Kaiba was at the scene that occurred earlier that evening, there would be a media circus camping outside not only his office, but their home as well.

"Yes, I understand that it will be difficult without attracting suspicions, but I need to know what the press knows and more. I will not be made to wait for information; neither will I tolerate incompetence or failure from any member of this team. You are on my personal staff, do not mess this up." His icy tone pierced through the receiver. "I expect an update every hour on the hour until you have found the necessary information. Do not be late." He warned ending the call.

It had been an hour since Mokuba had come to him. Kaiba knew that he had work to do in protecting his younger brother. If people knew that he had been there, that he had seen the men that had apparently been kidnapping many talented young people, he'd become a target. He would be a target not only to the kidnappers themselves, but also to the families of the missing. People did crazy things when their loved ones were in danger, and Kaiba would be damned if anything more happened to his younger sibling. He had been through more than enough already.

However, he also knew that it was only a matter of time before someone began sniffing around the Kaiba estate. Just by being a schoolmate of both Muoto and Jounouchi, Kaiba will draw attention. Not to mention the fact that he, at 18 years of age, is a multi-billionaire with dozens of championship titles in everything from Duel Monsters to Fencing. Even if the kidnappers had no interest in him whatsoever, the media definitely would be. The media loved any excuse to follow him around regardless of current situations.

School! The thought jolted through him. How could he forget about school? He could skip the day to work on his current reports from Germany without too much suspicion, but Mokuba? It was amazing what people can find out. His brother wasn't like him. He wasn't able to hide his emotions like Kaiba could. He wasn't as good at pretending like everything was going exactly how he wanted it all of the time. He didn't like the situation, but he did have ideas.

It was going to be a long, restless night.

* * *

"Seto?" His younger brother called out to him.

"Mokuba, it's 5 in the morning, you should be sleeping." He replied without slowing his typing or looking away from his monitor.

"Can't sleep.." He mumbled his sad reply. A few moments later Kaiba found a temporary resident nestled into his lap complete with a pillow, blanket, and really messy black hair.

He smiled tenderly taking a break from typing to stroke his brother's hair. "Moki, it'll be alright." He promised, trying to calm his brother down.

"Will it?" His brother asked. "Are you going to help find Jou?" His voice sounded strained and guilty.

"Moki, I can't just throw myself into a search like this..." He paused when his brother sat straight up in his lap.

"But you have to!" His brother cried. "You have to help Jou or no one else will. Please Seto, please?" His large blue-grey eyes glistened with unshed tears. "If he hadn't been so nice to me, he wouldn't have gotten caught. He wouldn't be in trouble. He would be at home right now if I had told him I couldn't go with to get pizza. Please?" Mokuba's voice was on the edge of hysterics.

Kaiba's usually cold eyes were soft and full of worry as he gazed down at his brother. "Mokuba, it's not that easy." He sighed. "I can't just get involved in whatever I feel like. Who ever these people are, they could find out that you were there. They're probably searching for you right now because you saw them. They may not know who you are now, but who's to say they won't find out?"

"Who's to say they won't find out anyway!" Mokuba cried. "Please, Seto, please! Please help Jou." His voice caught as fresh tears began to cascade down his pale face.

"Shhh, calm down" Kaiba whispered pulling his brother into an embrace. He was happy his brother couldn't see his expression. The anger in his eyes, the cold murderous scowl. His brother was right. He knew that it was possible for the kidnappers to get Jou to tell them just who exactly had been with them; the little boy that had escaped. He realized then that he didn't know Jou enough to know how much time he had to ensure Mokuba's safety, how much the mutt could take. He would be damned if Mokuba was kidnapped again.

"Seto," Mokuba whispered, "I know you don't like Jou. I know you hate him, but please. Please? For me, please help Jou. He's a good person, I promise."

"Mokuba…" He sighed, all anger sliding from his face. "If I take on this project, I'll hardly be around." He replied, a decision beginning to form in his mind.

His brother pushed back from his arms to look up into his face, the tears beginning to slow. "You mean it?" He breathed. "You'll really help Jou?"

"I didn't say I'd help him." He reminded his brother. "I'm simply letting you know what would happen if I had." He sighed again, running a hand down his face. "It's not like I can switch Kaiba Corporations over to investigation corporations." He added tiredly. "If I start a search for him like you've asked, it will only be myself and a few good men."

"Oh thank you!" The relief was evident on his brother's face. Clear as day. He barely had enough time to shift his arm out of the way to avoid being trapped by his brother's high-speed hug.

He hugged his brother back decisions swirling in his mind. It was going to be interesting, finding Jou. But first, he needed to find out how long Jou could go while keeping a secret.


	3. Chapter 3

_He hugged his brother back, decisions swirling in his mind. It was going to be interesting, finding Jou. But first, he needed to find out how long Jou could go while keeping a secret._

* * *

He needed to find the people who knew the blond the best. The people who would know the real Jounouchi Katsuya and how long he could keep a secret. Kaiba didn't know anything about Jou's home life or past. At least he hadn't before he hacked into the Domino High and Domino Police records. He was grateful that Jounouchi had not turned 18 yet, his criminal records would have been almost impossible to find if he had.

He now knew that Jou lived on the lower half of Domino City. He also knew that Jou had spent time in a Juvenile Correctional facility for a random collection of crimes; crimes that ranged from breaking and entering, to violence and fighting, and to gang related activities. He did note, however, that despite having breaking and entering on his record, Jounouchi had not been incarcerated for theft. Which for a gang member, was bizarre.

The most unusual case he stumbled upon, one a judge had thrown out based on lack of evidence, really caught Kaiba's eye. Had Jou been convicted of this crime, he would have faced several years in the facility, possibly even in prison after his 18th birthday.

The bodies of several members of a rival gang had been found in an abandoned apartment building, not too far from where Jou's apartment was listed; maybe only a handful of miles at best. According to the coroner's report, the five men had died of respiratory failure due to the consumption of tetrodotoxin poison. Found in a circle together, and a small shirt covering the face of one man, the crime was a mystery. Due to the over abundance of the toxins in the systems of all five men, and the lack of post mortem movement suggested that the men were deliberately poisoned and ingested the poisons themselves. It was too bizarre to be considered a mass suicide, but no other evidence suggested the presence of any other person.

The case against Jou had never gone to court due to the only evidence that Jou may have been involved was that these men were noted as having been in two fistfights that also included Hiroto Takashi, who was not considered to be a suspect of the unexplained deaths.

Had Jou been convicted, Kaiba would never have even met the annoying blonde. Who until very recently, Kaiba couldn't tolerate. He owed Jou a great debt for keeping his brother safe. It awed him that he almost hadn't even met him.

One police report, a breaking and entering incident, stated that Jou was also caught with three other boys; Hiroto Honda, Nezumi Nibi, and again with Hiroto Takashi; the same Takashi that was listed in several of the fistfights, he noted. Kaiba decided that the two, Nezumi Nibi and Hiroto Takashi, would be an excellent source of information in regards to Jounouchi's ability to keep silent. These were the people who have kept the secrets Jounouchi's current friends probably wouldn't be able to stomach, if his intuition of what Jounouchi had really done when he was younger.

"Megumi, I need the keys to the black four door." He knew there would be no point in driving a luxury car at any point during his investigation.

Within moments after receiving confirmation that his keys were ready, he was sliding his deep blue jacket over his shoulders while pushing the delete key on his laptop. Even though he was taking the small, inconspicuous laptop with him, he didn't want to leave any evidence that could be obtained by anyone else, especially because he was Kaiba Seto. People would be very interested to know why he was looking at private records of anyone, let alone someone that had gone missing. He could not afford anyone outside a select few people to know what he was up to.

It would only take him half an hour at most to find at least one of these boys. Both boys attended the same middle school with Jounouchi and now the same high school with one another. _"But then again, who's to say these boys even show up to school."_ Locking the door behind him, he snapped at his secretary "I'm going to lunch and I don't want to be followed. If anyone asks, I'm taking lunch in my office today."

"Yes, sir. Is there anything else that you need?" She asked in her ever business-like tone, a blank expression of disinterest on her face. Mr. Kaiba only had competent employees, except for his secretary. He was every gracious he had employed a very stupid lady, even if she did ask too many questions on days he wanted a simple 'yes, sir'.

She hadn't asked him why he was going to lunch at 10 in the morning, for which he was grateful. He had come to work significantly earlier than she had, so he didn't felt the need to explain to her why he was supposedly hungry at 10 am. "Yes, email me when Mokuba's doctor calls in, he seems to have caught a cold and I want to make sure it's nothing more. He should be arriving to the doctor's office in the next half an hour or so and I expect a prompt email that his results have been faxed in to my office. Keep an ear out for the machine." He didn't wait for her reply; he simply strode over to the secluded elevator's he had installed for his own private use. Sometimes it was good to come and go without others knowing he was even there in the first place, especially on days like today. Kaiba-sama loved his privacy.

As soon as the elevator doors slid closed, he began to strip from his business attire. It wouldn't do him any good to look like the rich CEO he was. He had packed his briefcase with a simple green t-shirt, black jacket and dark wash jeans along with plain, and very popular, black shoes. He was changed and ready before his elevator reached the ground floor. Slipping on a pair of boxy, black eyeglasses he made his way over to his favorite, four door black Kei.

The box-shaped car blended in well with all of the other popular, weird vehicles. It was an older model, to allow him to be less noticeable, but still well kept. There would have been no point in changing if he was going to drive around in a very expensive, and very flashy, silver sports car. Even if it did remind him of a certain dragon with its specially designed blue headlights and angled curves.

He slid his key into the door, having done away with the automatic lock opener, and unlocked his door. Despite being a technology genius, he liked simple things in his personal life. Especially when it made his car look even less new than people already thought it was. With a smirk, he slid in to his driver's seat and ran his hands through his hair. He needed to look like a teenager and not some corporate asshole. He knew the kids wouldn't trust someone who looked like a walking law tome, even if he couldn't care less about law. He knew all about business law and every loophole one could possibly think about, but not the kind of law these kids, in all probability, broke every week.

Moments after bringing his car to life his phone vibrated from his back pocket, and he shook his head. Who would be calling him during his lunch break?

"Kaiba." He spoke harshly in to the receiver as he drove his way out of Kaiba corp.

"Kaiba-sama, this is Sato. We have information saying that Muoto has been out of surgery long enough and is well enough to be considered "on the road to recovery" rather than being in critical condition. He is still under heavy sedation and will not be available for questioning for quite some time, but you instructed to call when the results were determined."

"Good." He replied as he drove expertly with his knees, shifting in to second gear with his other hand. "I want someone in to question him as soon as he's awake, and definitely before law enforcement. Tell the Doctor Kobayashi to keep him as being sedated for four hours after he wakes up. If I cannot make it in four ours to speak with him myself, release to the press and enforcement that he's awake but unavailable for questioning. I will speak to him before he speaks to any officer. Do I make myself clear?" He growled in to the receiver.

"Perfectly, sir." With that Kaiba pressed the off switch and dropped his phone in to the cup holder in order to jerk the steering wheel to the left, sneering at the red mustang he narrowly avoided colliding with. "Asshole…" he muttered as he drove past. "This is why I hate driving! Who do these people think they are, driving like total jackasses? I have places to GO!" He barked at the car in front of him that was going just above the speed limit. "I'm clearly in a hurry, if you want to drive like your grandmother then do it on someone else's time!"

* * *

Another fifteen minutes and a few broken speed limits later, Kaiba found himself parked outside of a large, bleak building that looked just like every other high school in Japan. "Now all I have to do is wait for lunch at 11." He sighed angrily. Why couldn't the world run by his time? That's all he would ask of people, to be more convenient. His patience was running as thin as his lack of sleep.

He pushed his seat back as far as it was modified to go and pressed the button that tinted his windows almost black. He pulled his small laptop out of his briefcase and set to work. Now he could research the two delinquents without disruption. He needed to know what they looked like, what they had done, and anything else he could find before he met them.


	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing but my plot.

* * *

_He pushed his seat back as far as it was modified to go and pressed the button that tinted his windows almost black. He pulled his small laptop out of his briefcase and set to work. Now he could research the two delinquents without disruption. He needed to know what they looked like, what they had done, and anything else he could find before he met them._

Chapter 4

Kaiba didn't spend long looking up information on the duo. He now knew that Nibi was an only child with brown hair and stood only 5 feet tall. He also knew that Hiroto had two brothers, black hair, and stood around 5'8". Neither boy looked very intimidating, especially next to his 6' tall, well trained frame. But, even he knew that looks could be deceiving. While he would never admit it to anyone, he never underestimated his opponents in his mind, regardless of how verbally cocky he could be.

_"10 more minutes and it should be lunch time."_ He noted, ignoring the small grumble from his own ignored stomach. He had to plan his course of action quickly. Both of his targets were known street fighters. He was hoping that due to very strict rules set down by the parole officers of both boys, that neither one would be out of school or willing to pick a fight right off. "But then again, I am intending to interrogate them on an old friend." He sighed getting out of the car.

Thanks to extensive surveillance cameras, and a genius mind for hacking, he knew where the boys were likely to take their lunch break. He hoped no one found it odd that the cameras were now currently viewing the previous day. Within five minutes he was standing in place, waiting for the lunch bell to ring. It wasn't much of a surprise to him when he discovered that the boys ate under a very old, very large oak tree. "Perfect."

He slipped his hands in to his pocket and rested his back against the side of the tree. He knew there was no point in hiding; if he were to startle the boys he would have no chance of earning their trust. The trust that would give him the answers he wanted.

A loud ringing noise blared from the school building and Kaiba took a deep breath. He waited patiently while kids began to pool out of the school. He kept his senses alert, just in case. "Come on." He muttered, he literally didn't have all day, he'd already spent his lunch hour getting here, and despite being the boss, he had standards to uphold.

It took another five minutes before two relatively small figures were approaching him.

"What ch'ya think you're doin'?" A small, rat faced kid demanded, stopping just a few feet away from Kaiba.

"Nezumi Nibi and Hiroto Takashi, I'm presuming?" He asked in a disinterested tone. _No point in expressing too much displeasure too early. _

"Yeah, what of it?" the kid named Takashi demanded as he spat on the ground. "What does a punk like you want wit' us?" He crossed his arms and held a steady gaze.

Kaiba smirked at this kid's courage. "I won't lie to you for I haven't the time nor patience." He glanced behind the boys to make sure no one was looking in their direction. "I need information on an old friend of yours. Jounouchi Katsuya, to be exact."

Nibi visibly stiffened and he lowered his high, squeaky voice. "How do you even know that we know Jou?"

"Given that you reacted so callously and even knew his nickname, you did." Kaiba replied coolly.

"Wha'ddya want then?" Hiroto asked, the calmer of the two. "You clearly know him too, if ya knew his nickname. The damn reporters spouting off everywhere call him by Jounouchi only."

"I do." Kaiba agreed quietly, "He's a friend of sorts." The two thugs glanced at one another before looking back at Kaiba.

"Is that how ya knew to find us?" Hiroto questioned.

Kaiba paused and then nodded slowly. "I guess you could say that."

"So you must be good friends with him?" Nezumi questioned.

"Well, not exactly." Kaiba sighed and consciously ran a hand through his hair. "He's always been a lot closer to my younger cousin. We were friends by association at first." There was no way Kaiba was going to allude to having a younger brother, let alone to having been Jou's tormentor for the past few years.

The duo shared an important look between each other, silently agreeing, on what, Kaiba didn't know. "Then we ain't gonna question how ya knew to find us. If Jou trusted you enough to tell you about us, then we ain't gonna question him. Jou always knows best."

"I'm going to find him." Kaiba stated softly, looking Hiroto straight in the eye. "So if you want him found, you had better not mention me to anyone." His voice remained eerily calm, dripping with confidence one only had with the resources to back up a threat.

Hiroto scoffed at his warning. "You ain't gotta be stupid, kid. We ain't gonna tell no body that we saw ya. It not only violates our parole to be talkin' to a total stranger of your apparent caliber, but if you're trusted by Jou, we'll be keepin' our mouths shut tight, see?"

Kaiba released his inner breath he didn't know he was holding. These kids didn't seem to ask many questions, for which he was grateful. They also had unwavering trust in Jou, which made Kaiba smile slightly. "You seem to have a lot of faith in him."

"Jou is one of the smartest people I ever knew." Nezumi said slowly. "He may not be the best when it comes to academics, and certainly not wit' grades, but that don't mean he ain't hella smart."

"He's got a bit of a luck of the draw attitude, too." Hiroto chimed in. "He thinks best on his feet. He said once that if he ain't got piles of stress to work under, he can't think as straight. Scary how calm he can stay." He added darkly.

"Scary's right." Nezumi nodded in agreement. "Jou's as good as we come, us street thugs. Somethin' like a modern day Robin Hood, if you ask me. He'll do anything to help those less fortunate than 'im, even though he ain't got nothing". He paused and looked Kaiba level in the eyes "But that don't mean he won't do what needs doin'. If you know what I mean?"

Kaiba shifted slowly to his other foot, running a slim hand through his messy hair again, forcing a fake habit. "All I need to know is how long he can keep his mouth shut. I know he's a good kid, but there are secrets my cousin has told him that I need to make sure are kept secret."

"Who, Jou? That kid's got an iron tight jaw. Whatever secret you're trying to hide that he knows won't be goin' no where soon." Nezumi paused to shift under Kaiba's deadly serious gaze. "Unless you got some secret that Jou wants other people to know, they'll never get it out of him."

"He's gotten us in to countless fights with his impulsive trap, but he knows when to keep quiet. I don't know what you're tryin' ta hide, but whatever it is, Jou ain't goin' ta be the one that spills the beans." Hiroto explained quietly glancing behind his shoulder. "And ta be real honest with ya, it's about time you left. If we learn anything worth knowing on Jou, how do ya want us to contact ya?"

_Contact me?_Kaiba thought mildly confused. "Judgin' by that look on ya face, you don't quite get it. If you're goin' ta go after finding Jou, we want in. I don't care who ya are or what ya do, but I do care what happens to the greatest man I ever knew." Hiroto informed him.

Kaiba paused for a moment thinking quickly. "I'll have an associate contact you in the next week or so with instructions as to how to reach me."

"Associate? Alright, tough guy, will keep ya updated as much as possible. See ya around."

* * *

He had spent over two hours on lunch today. His secretary knew better than to question him when he strolled back in, looking a little disheveled but otherwise clean cut, but he still needed to worry about rumors. She was a stupid woman, he knew that, and he didn't have the patience, nor time to put up with any nonconstructive rumors.

"Call the executive board members." He barked at her as he strolled by. "I want them here within the next hour." He paused just inside of his doorway, "And if anyone says they are unable to make the meeting, be sure they're informed that their vote is forfeit." _Not that I need it_. He threw his door closed behind him as he walked briskly to his desk.

He didn't have any time to waste. He had twenty minutes to re-prepare his presentation on a project he wasn't prepared to share. He needed four more months to ensure his new technologies would be fool proof. Kaiba Seto never released plans for new technology he was 110% sure would function. "Damnit, Jou." He cursed under his breath.

* * *

AN: Well, friends. I'm a bit stuck. I don't have any idea what the crazy cool technology should be! And ideas?

Please review your ideas! (:


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